After reading through an article on Yahoo, Reining in Rio: Not Everything Goes at Carnival thanks to The Trip Chicks on twitter I was amazed at the changes to the Rio I once knew. Granted this little monkey only spent 4 months living there but that is long enough to call a place home. What I read from the article makes me question what my former home will look like once I return to visit. As Marcus Paulo Reis was quoted in the article saying, “They’re trying to get rid of the grit that gives Rio its flavor.” The grittiness that get’s in your shorts when swimming is not a good thing, but this is a different kind of grit that they don’t show on the postcards of Rio.
I loved living in Rio, every dirty street and the smog smell that filled the street air as soon as you stepped away from the beach. It wasn’t always pretty but it was Rio, and from someone who lived in the not so touristy glamor filled neighborhood of Botafogo I loved the aforementioned grit.
I know there is a lot of pressure on Rio de Janeiro to clean up it’s act because the Olympics and FIFA are coming and will showcase the good, bad and gritty aspects of Rio to the world – and this has some people scared. For those of us who know Rio, some changes while may seem aesthetically more appealing, take away from the real Rio. They took away the coconuts, ok I can deal with that but the cheese too – well now your pushing it. They have changed all the tents to white and removed any markings, dammit I had my favorite guy who would hook me up with a seat for R$3 and gave me specials on an ice cold Itaipava. How do I find him now? Closing down the Disco where all the prostitutes gathered, well that one isn’t an entirely huge loss I’m sure they’ll find a new place to sucker in the gringo tourist – just make sure she doesn’t have an adams apple. Remember guys, surgery is cheap down there so before you rent your love motel room make sure you know what your getting into. Even if she is a she – if it seems too good to be true it probably is and she will hit you up for money at some point.
I digress, but that is Rio. I danced the Samaba in the streets, was robbed on the stairway of Selaron and ate the most delicious grilled bananas in the lagoa surrounded by Sugar Loaf and the Christ Redeemer. I had to wash my fur daily to get the smog smell out and my havaianas probably had some sewage disease on them from walking in the rain. Rio is the most wonderful, amazing, dirty and grity place I have ever been to and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m afraid when I go back it is going to look like some beach resort type place.
Lastly, I’m worried what they are going to do with the people. Those who can’t even afford to live in the favelas and end up living on the streets. What happens to those people? Are they really going to just let them be throughout the media circus of the Olympics or take the other extreme and outlaw living on the streets reflecting Nazi Germany? I doubt anyone would take it that far but I wonder what changes they have planned and what limitations if any, there are.
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